Week 2 Reading Reflection

Learning how young the study of entrepreneurship is was something I didn't expect. It's easy to take how things are in modern time for granted. It hasn't been very long that "regular" people have the means and freedom to pursue their entrepreneurial interest, even though it seems like that is an expected part of society today. 

I though having the Venture Opportunity School of Thought under the Micro view was strange. It mentions "developing the right idea at the right time for the right market niche", which to me seems very dependent on outside factors. Even though the micro view is about "the potential entrepreneur has the ability, or control, to direct or adjust the outcome of each major influence".

There are many different schools of thought, and I personally feel that a combination of all of them is needed to form a realistic concept. However,if I had to choose one I feel that the Environmental School of Thought is the biggest factor. I wonder what the author would personally choose. The chapter also talks a lot about the benefits entrepreneurs have on society, which makes sense considering it is an Entrepreneurship textbook. It would be a nice contrast to see know the authors thoughts on problems or issues that entrepreneurship can cause, which would make the chapter feel more well rounded.

There wasn't anything I disagreed with in the section. It does a very good job of being general and not really saying one idea or way is better than any other. 

Bug List

1.   Bug:  I use a tablet as an alarm clock, and if it gets a notification during the night it's notification light starts blinking even if it's set to silent. I have trouble sleeping often and this can can cause issues.
      Why: It is probably something the designers just didn't consider, or if they did thought it would  better to have some non-audible way to convey a notification.

2.   Bug:  The oven in my dorm takes an excessively long time to heat up (almost 30 minutes to 400F).
      Why: The oven is probably a cheaper model and just doesn't preform well.

3.   Bug:  The elements can take a toll on bicycles, so it would be nice to have covers for them to keep them in a nice condition outside.
      Why: It cost money to put some up, and could possibly be considered an eye sore.

4.   Bug:  The U-Lock for my bike is difficult to open and does sometimes get in the way while biking.
      Why: The shape of the lock is part of the cause for both of these inconveniences. 

5.   Bug:  While biking it is hard to stay dry in the rain, as a jackets hood will usually be pushed back by the wind, and umbrellas are unrealistic to use.
      Why:  Riding a bike normally requires the use of both arms, and pedaling at most speeds will create wind.

6.   Bug:  UF has many different (and not always great) websites for students: financials, schedules, clubs, ID's and more. It can often be hard to remember or know where to go when you need to do anything.

      Why: It might be simpler for each department to have their own website instead of working together on one unified one.

7.   Bug:  Each of my classes has their own website in addition to using canvas. Not having one place to go to check on homework can be quite annoying.
      Why: Professors may not like canvas, or may just want more control over their own site. 

8.   Bug:  There is very little desk space in most lecture halls, which makes taking written notes difficult.
      Why: The seats are primarily designed to fit a large number of students in the room.

9.   Bug:  The floor numbering scheme in many of the building on campus varies from the base floor being called ground, first floor, and even other ones.
      Why: It's possible different designers decided to go with their own standard, instead of look at the preexisting buildings and keeping a unified system. 

10. Bug:  I have a little multi-tool on my key ring, which is convenient to have, but it is fairly awkward to take odd the ring. An easier way to take it on and off would be convenient.
      Why: They probably prioritized the multi-tool being compact and lightweight, which meant a more complicated attachment mechanism was decided against. 

11. Bug: The lack of counter space for cooking storage in dorm can make things difficult, especially when its hared with three other people.
      Why: Dorms are small and don't offer a ton of space. 

12. Bug:  It can be difficult to keep school files synced across various computers and thumb drives. Having a non-cloud based service (so internet speeds aren't important) to keep all files up to date.
      Why: It can be stressful worrying about keeping so many important files on hand and easily accessible. 

13. Bug:  The recycling on campus is limited to paper and some plastics and it would feel nice to more easily recycle materials instead of throwing them away.
      Why: It may not be cost effective to spend time recycling some materials or composting food wast, even though it is possible to do so. 

14. Bug:  Drying dishes can take up a good amount of counter space. A solution could be to have cabinets with built in drying racks and maybe even fans to keep everything more organized and  efficient.
      Why: Dishes need circulation to dry, which means they should be spaced out, taking up space.

15. Bug:  Frequently I will have issues with the UF internet, having incompatibilities with programs or operating systems. This makes doing work or most anything else in our interconnected society frustrating and sometimes temporarily impossible.
      Why: They want to make sure the network is safe from people exploiting it, which is understandable, though does seem overbearing at times. 

16. Bug:  Getting mail is fairly infrequent here, but it would be nice to get an email notification like when receiving packages, so it would be easier to respond to letters quickly if necessary.
      Why: A system like this would probably take time to implement, and fewer people are using snail mail for important communications nowadays. 

17. Bug:  Between chargers, headphones, keyboards, and other computer peripherals, there is a mess of cables on and around my desk. A desk with built in cable management would help alleviate this issue.
      Why: It would cost extra money, and wouldn't necessarily be a one size fits all solution, making it harder to implement campus wide.

18. Bug:  For most phones if you forget to charge during the night, they will struggle to get through the following day, It would be really cool to easily get multiple days out of phone.
      Why: Battery technology has not advanced at the same speed processor and screen technologies have.

19. Bug:  Printers are notorious for not working when they are needed too. Having a reliable printer at this point would seem like a miracle.
      Why: Moving parts are always vulnerable to breaking, which for right now, are required for printers.

20. Bug:  There seems to be a rush at certain times of the day to do laundry, especially towards the night. There could be a system that would let people know good times to try.
      Why: The system would have to be implemented. 

I did have some trouble coming up with things that bug me. Normally I do try to see things in a more optimistic point and not have little things bother me. My thought process was to just run through my daily routine and see what might be improve. 

My Entrepreneurship Story

Last year I took part in the Big Idea Gator Business Plan Competition. It was a very interesting experience, not only because I was learning about how to make a Business Plan and pitch the concept, but also because I was working with someone else's idea that needed to be evolved to make more feasible. The product was an accessory which would attach to any writing instrument that would turn it into a "smartpen". This would give it the ability to record writing digitally, make audio notes, and have motion controls that could tie into a smartphone or computer application. I acted as the Chief Technical Officer (did feel weird about having a title like that) and researched the existing market and products. We actually made it to the top sixteen and presented in front of a group of investors. It was a very cool experience, which I hope to try again in the upcoming years.

I chose this class because I do have a strong interest in joining a start up or creating my own businesses. But I hope that even if that doesn't end up happening, I do learn valuable skills that will help me in the future.

The name of the company concept was Atramentum (it means ink in Latin, weren't we fancy).

Introduction

Currently I am a sophomore Computer Engineering student. I am proud to consider myself a nerd, if you were wondering where the title of the blog comes from. There are a few different things that I am passionate about. Open Source software is one that is closely related to my major. In general, it is software that allows anyone to look through, modify, and share the code. This is really cool because it helps people work to make programs that can take advantage of existing work, without having to start from scratch. In addition it allows anyone to learn from the software, and contribute back to it to make it even better. Martial arts is also a great interest for me. For the past year and a half I have been practicing one called Cuong Nhu. It's a Vietnamese mixed martial art that was actually brought over to America at the University of Florida.My other hobby is photography. I love being in the mindset of being able to look at anything and be in wonder, and I do my best to show that with my pictures. I am still not sure exactly what I want to do with my career. What I do know though, is that I want to help people in any way I can. It makes me happy, and would help me get through hard days knowing I've made someones life better.

Entrepreneur's Mantra